United Airlines announced Thursday that it will resume service to Tel Aviv from Chicago and Washington, D.C., in November, expanding its service to Israel beyond the New York area for the first time in two years.
The Chicago-based carrier said it will operate four weekly non-stop flights to Ben-Gurion International Airport from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport starting on Nov. 1, and three weekly flights from Washington’s Dulles International Airport on Nov. 2, matching the frequency on those routes before they were suspended on Oct. 7, 2023.
The decision cements United’s position as the U.S. carrier with the most flights to Israel, a title it long held before the Hamas-led attack on the northwestern Negev, when it connected Ben-Gurion Airport with four American cities led by Newark and including Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
“The resumption of these flights underscores United’s longstanding commitment to Tel Aviv,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of Global Network Planning and Alliances, in a statement.
United resumed twice daily flights between its Newark hub and Tel Aviv in July.
United’s announcement regarding the Chicago and Washington routes, which came the same week that rival Delta Air Lines renewed service to Israel from New York, highlights the resurgence of the Israeli aviation market and the reemergence of Ben-Gurion as an international travel hub as an ever-increasing number of foreign carriers resume flights to the Jewish state.
The additional flights are expected to further reduce airfares this winter between the U.S. and Israel which have remained stubbornly high over the last two years due to heavy demand far outweighing the reduced supply.
